A Secret Rendezvous
by 13lackmagic
Summary: Damon is Dead. Elena and Stefan want to bring him back. Will they succeed or will they end up realizing they are perfect for each other in the process? Caroline thinks they should both move on; but something is calling to them from the other side.


A Secret Rendezvous

Chapter 1

Deceased, Drunk, & Deceit

_Damon is dead. Damon is dead. _Elena repeated to herself for what seemed to be the hundredth time that evening. She wasn't sure where she was, having had a few drinks prior to taking a walk through Mystic Falls, but she did know one thing for sure: Damon was dead. He'd died protecting the vampires, Caroline, Stefan, and herself, from the travelers attempting to take over their town. Now, he was gone. Lost in her thoughts of that night, she retraced the walk she used to take so often and found herself at her parents' grave. She took another sip of the bottle in her hand; it could've been everclear and she still wouldn't, and couldn't forget.

She sat down on the ground, and let more tears fall. It seemed to be all she would do this summer vacation, cry. She hadn't wanted to be a downer at the party, but she didn't want to be alone either. She sat until the tears stopped and stumbled her way through the graveyard. She knew the way to the Salvatore mansion from here and continued on. Nothing was going to stop her from finding someone to talk to. She had a plan, and there was no way Stefan was going to tell her no. The party was still in full swing when she arrived back at the mansion. She had secretly hoped that everyone would've passed out. It was only slightly after 10:00pm, so even drunk, she knew it was wishful thinking.

She slowly approached the porch to see Alaric's car parked in the lot next to hers. Great, she wouldn't be in trouble, but she may be forced to stop drinking soon, if she hoped to be able to even try to explain what she had been thinking.

She noticed a figure on the porch and approached slowly. It was Stefan seated in a brooding fashion—"So, you feel cheery yet?" She asked him, taking a swig of her bottle and offering him some. She knew she was slurring and was definitely drunk. Stefan offered her a small forced smile and shook his head. "As much as Caroline meant well, I don't really think that any old high school party is going to cheer me up. I want to get Damon back." Stefan responded. Elena smiled, for the first time in what seemed like ages. "Well, at least we can agree on that." She told him. "We should do something," Elena added, running a hand through her hair. "We should find a way to get him back!" She exclaimed. "How?" Stefan asked her, racking his already drunk brain. "I don't know, you're the one that's been alive for 170 years. How could you not have a plan in case your brother died?" Elena asked him, plopping down in the seat on the stairs next to him. "There's got to be something we can do." She said, trailing off into a silence that was interrupted by the screen door opening. She was hoping to leave a dramatic pause and then fill in with the answer, but she was interrupted by the drama queen herself. "Do something about what?" Caroline asked, a smile on her face. She was clearly not as drunk as both Stefan and Elena were. "Damon," the pair said in unison. "Guys, I get it you're upset and you have every reason to be, but can't it wait until tomorrow! This is a party! You should be dancing, playing beer pong, and getting as drunk as you can! It's summer vacation!" Caroline exclaimed at them. Maybe, Elena had misjudged at first; she was definitely drunk. Caroline had been 100% supportive for the first week, and the funeral, however a full month later and she thought that Stefan and Elena should be living their lives the way Damon would've wanted. "I miss Bonnie and Damon too, but they would want us to enjoy our lives, while we can." She told them, wrapping her arms around both her friends' shoulders and pulling them close.

"Let's go. Elena hit the beer pong table with Ric. You, Stefan, are coming to dance with me." Respective parties took their orders and headed opposite directions. Elena played beer pong with Ric, having an okay enough time to push Damon to the back of her memory. She lost beer pong terribly, having already consumed enough alcohol that if she were human, she may have died of alcohol poisoning. The rest of the evening was a blur, she talked to Stefan, Tyler, Ric, Caroline, Jeremy, and anyone that would listen to her about whatever thought crossed her mind. She wouldn't be embarrassed until the following morning, little did she know she would have bigger things to worry about.

She awoke the next morning with a start, apparently the party had carried on to Tyler's after she fell asleep. Stefan was in bed next to her; she was only wearing a shirt and she had no recollection of how she'd gotten there. She looked around trying to take in her surroundings; okay, she was in Damon's room. She reached for her phone, it blared 1:55pm at her. Maybe the party goers had less of a need for sleep than she had and had already left and the party hadn't carried on, after she fell asleep. She had a missed call from Ric, Jer, and Caroline from some time after 1am. "Stefan, get up…" She mumbled gently. Had they…? Did she totally disrespect Damon's memory by waiting a month and then sleeping with his brother…? She had no recollection of anything after beer pong with Ric. "What happened last night?" She asked, burying her face into Damon's pillow, and taking in his scent. Stefan sat up quickly, revealing his bare chest and shook his head. "We went for a walk; you wanted to come in here and feel close to Damon…" He explained calmly.

"Did we…?" She trailed off, not really sure that she wanted an answer. "We kissed," he said slowly. She really didn't remember anything from the night prior. Elena let out a sigh of relief. "We kissed, that's all?" She asked him. Stefan nodded. "That's all." He repeated. "Do you remember your plan?" He asked her gently. "To get Damon back?" He elaborated when met by Elena's blank gaze. She shook her head slowly. "Maybe you should get in the shower and we can talk about it over coffee and breakfast." Stefan told her.

20 minutes later, Elena met Stefan back downstairs. Upon her arrival, there was hot coffee in her cup already fixed and ready the way she liked it. Also, eggs, bacon, and hash browns sat on a plate waiting for her. For not having sex, he was really pulling out all the stops. Stefan sat opposite of her at the table. "You kept talking about a witch in Louisiana that knew a spell to bring someone back from the dead and had the power to do it." Stefan told her. Elena nodded, unsure of what else she had said the night prior. "Stefan, I don't know her. I know OF her. Caroline mentioned her when she went to New Orleans to…" She stopped, that was supposed to be a secret. "But in order to create life where it isn't, you have to sacrifice an equally powerful life. I vote Rebekah, if we are going to New Orleans." Elena teased, to which Stefan returned with an unhappy look. "So I take it we're going to New Orleans?" He asked her and Elena shook her head. "You don't just ask a witch if she could 'pretty please' bring someone back from the dead. We need leverage." Stefan looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. "How do you know all this?" He asked her incredulously. "Stefan, Caroline is my best friend and she makes it her business to know everything about everything, which is why I know exactly who we need to use as leverage. His name is Josh. He is a young vampire, who is currently on his way to Mystic Falls to meet his mother." She told him with a small Katherine-esque smile. She picked at her breakfast half-heartedly and gulped down her coffee. "Are you sure we didn't—you know?" She asked him, staring at him suspiciously. "Would that be so bad?" He countered. "I mean, it wouldn't be the first time." Elena cut him off, "Yes, it would be bad. Damon hasn't been dead a month and while, he may want me to continue living my life, I don't think it would be with you. Nor would he want it to be in his bed." She stated matter-of-factly. "No offense." She added, quietly. Stefan nodded, he understood and fell quiet. "So we wait for Josh to come with us, and then road trip to New Orleans?" Stefan asked her; he didn't like to see Elena scheme the way that Katherine would, but they both needed to get his brother back. They were falling apart without him. "Yes, the real trick is not letting anyone know about it—not even Caroline." She gave him a significant look. "You know it's okay if you like her, right? I would really be happy for the two of you." She finished her breakfast and poured herself another cup of coffee. "Look, I need to go and get some sleep. Do you want to come over tonight and I will arrange the rest of the details, and fill you in? If you're worried about Ric, he's going to be out. There is a teacher conference tonight; Apparently, Mystic High is getting a new principal." She added, with a small smile. "I'll see you tonight." Stefan agreed, showing her out.

Elena returned home, calling Alaric on her way. She kept it short and sweet, with very little explanation of where she'd spent the night, and neglected to mention that she'd woken up in only a shirt and underwear, with Stefan in bed next to her. When she got home, she slept off most of the alcohol that was still in her blood stream. A few hours later, she heard a knock at the door. She groaned and went to answer it. Caroline stood at the door with an armful of snacks and wine-coolers. "I figured that we could have a girl's night. It won't be the same without Bonnie, but it could still be fun! Besides, you need to fill me in about what happened last night. You went missing around 11 with Stefan and never came back!" Caroline exclaimed, "Are you two-? Did you-?" Elena shook her head and hoped to silence her best friend. "We are working on a road trip for everyone to get our minds off Mystic Falls, but no, we didn't and we aren't anything but friends." Elena told him. "AND you can't lead on that you know, it's supposed to be a surprise." Elena told Caroline with a smile. "And I can't do a girls' night, because Stefan should be here in the next 15 minutes to plan it. So, you need to go." Elena told her friend, as gently as she could manage.

"Are you mad at me? Because of everything I said about you and Stefan needing to get over it?" Caroline asked her. "I was drunk and I'm sorry! I don't think it's something either of you will ever get over, but I just think you both should be moving on with your lives. We know the other side is falling apart, so even if you guys could get over there, who knows if he's even retrievable. He could just be gone forever." Caroline was rambling. "Caroline, I'm not mad at you, but Stefan and I really are planning a trip. You just have to trust me." Elena told her, ushering her out the door. "Can we do a girls' night tomorrow then?" She whined. Elena smiled and nodded. "We will do a girls' night tomorrow." She agreed.


End file.
